Safety device for refrigerators



J. F. MAREK 2,818,825

SAFETY DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVE TOR. JAMES Ml/Q55 Arm/wer Jap. 1958 Filed Maron 5, 1954 Jan. 7, 1958 J, F MAREK zyslsg SAEET;r DEVICE FOR EEEEIGERATORS Filed March 5.. `19:54 A- d l `2 sheets-sheet a INVENTOR.`

- arenty ilice 2,818,825 Patented Jar, 7. 195.5%

SAFETY DEVICE FOR REFRIGERATORS lames F. Marek, Mishawaka, Ind.

Application March 5, 1954, Serial No. 414,415`

i-Ciaims. (Cl. 109--63.5)

This invention relates to improvements in safety devices for refrigerators.

Refrigerators are commonly constructed with cabinets or food preserving spaces thereof substantially hermetically sealed in order to secure maximum economy of operation` for normal intended use. Because of this hermetic seal. a `numberof fatal accidents have occurred with discarded refrigerators as a result of the inadvertent or accidentaly closing of a refrigerator door after a child had climbed therein to play. The seal excludes the air required yto sustain life and, as a result, children have suffocated under those conditions.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a novel and simple means by which the door of a refrigerator may be held open and prevented from being latched when the space therein is suliiciently opento permit a child to enter the cabinet.

A further object isto provide al refrigerator cabinet having a door with means normally operativel to prevent closing of the door, and held inoperative by a shelf member located within the cabinet, so that removal of the shelf will automatically create a condition or Asetting of the parts which prevents the closing and latchingy of therefrigerator door.

A further object is to provide -a device of this ycharacter which can readily be installed in a standard or conventional refrigerator as an accessory-thereof.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specication:

In the drawings:

Fig. .l is a front view of a refrigerator of the household type having its door open and'having my new device mounted therein;

Fig.v 2,'is an enlarged side view of my new device with parts thereof shown in section;

Fig. 3; is an enlarged'view of my device asseen` from the right in Fig. 2, with part ofthe housing broken away and-with the parts illustrated in one adjustment;

Y Fig. 4 is a view of the device asimilar to Fig. 3 and illustrating a diierent adjustment of the parts;

Fig. 5 is a side View of the device in its tripped condition, with the parts connected as illustrated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a View illustrating' the manner in which the device may be mounted in a refrigerator cabinet.l

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral designates the cabinet of a refrigerator having a door 12y mounted thereon -bymeansiof hinges14'. The kdoor is adapted to be held closed by means of a latch (not shown) and suitable sealing means, such as a exible sealing strip 16, carried by the door as here illustrated although it may be carried by the face of the cabinet, serves as a means to seal the cabinetwhen the door is latched in closed position. The refrigerator will contain one or more chambers or compartments housing the operating mechanism therefor or constituting chambersorcompartments which are to be maintained at a temperature. different than the 2 other parts of the cabinet as freezing coirlpavrtnients,v and one ofl whichl is a main chamber 17 within which fruits andvegetables and other foods are intended tobestored. Thel primary food storage compartment of the cabinet will preferably have one or more shelves 18l mounted-v therein, preferably detachably, and serving as supports upon which food items may bear within the cabinet, It will be understood that the cabinet may be of any size or-shapedesired, and the parts heretofore described may be of any standard or conventional construction. The cabinet walls and the door will preferably be insulated, and for purpose each wall will preferably have an outer plate, or portion 20 spaced from an inner plate or portionV 2 2, andthe intervening space between the parts 20 and 22 will beiilled with an insulating material 24. The construction in this respect again is conventional.

My improved safety means is preferably mounted within a housing, here illustrated as having a top wall 26, upright walls 2S', and a bottom wall 3Q. This housing is preferably mounted within the cabinet adjacent to but spaced from the front edge 32 of thecabinet and. the refrigerator door 12 when the latter is in latched position.

A door stop 34 is mounted on an arm 36v which is pivoted at its end at 38 to one of the upright walls 28 of the housing adjacent the front of the housing. The door stop 34y will preferably project through a slot or opening in the housing and will be free to, swing between the.. positions illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5. The door stop 34. will preferably be formed of metal platey or rigid sheet stockand has a flange 40 bent therefrom adjacent thel juncture of the parts 34 and` 36 and adapted to be positioned substantially vertically when the door stop is in its retractedA position, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the same being positioned above and inwardly spaced from the pivot axis'Y 38. Spring means are provided to normally urge the door stop 34 to projected position illustrated in Eig. 5A. An elongated spring is provided having a pair of yruns 42 whichy are interconnected. by a loop portion 44,. The. free end of one run 4 2 is pivoted at 46 to the door stop` 34, 36 at a point spaced from the pivot 3.8,. The end of the opposite'run 42 is pivoted to one of the uprightl walls 28 of the housing. The housing opening which the door'stop 34 swings between the Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 posiv tion willbe so shaped and proportioned that said door stop will have the position illustrated in Fig. 5 at its manimum projected position as determined by the operation of the' spring 42,44.'

A trip member is pivoted at 50 within the housingto lie in a plane substantially parallel to but offset from the plane of the door stop 34 as best seen in Fig. 2. The trip member includes an elongated arm 52 which extends through suitable slots or openings in the top 26 and one,

vertical wall 28 of the housing, and a plate portion 5,4 within the housing. Thus the general outline of the parts 52,` 54 is L-shaped. The pivot 50 is spaced above andI inwardly or rearwardly relative to the pivot 38. The lateral spacing ofthe parts will preferably be such that when the device is in the set position, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, one edge of the elongated arm 52 will bear substantially flat against the flange 40 when the door stop, 34- is retracted. A curved edge 56y is provided at the junction of the parts 52 and 54`of thevtrip member, thus forming a heel with a camming reaction on the ange.

40, as best illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The end of the iiange 40 which is positioned uppermost in the re.- tracted position of the door stop 3 4 is preferably provided with a bent end portion 41 which accommodates displacement of the parts by tilting action of the trip member 52', 54, as illustrated in Fig.' 3. The plate portion 54 may have a' projection or extension at 58' and is stopped at the Fig.y 5 `position when spring 62 is contracted, for

the purpose of limiting the pivotal action of the member 52, 54 incident to tripping or release thereof.

The device may operate by a tripping action which occurs by movement of the trip member in a counterclockwise direction, as illustrated in Fig. 3, or may be oriented to cause tilting of the trip member 52, 54 in a clockwise direction of rotation illustrated in Fig. 4. The Fig. 3 construction utilizes a hook 6i) or anchor member mounted on the trip member 52 spaced from the pivot axis 50 thereof and providing anchorage for one end of an elongated coil spring 62. The opposite end of the coil spring 62 is anchored to the lower part of the housing at 64, preferably at the lower front corner thereof and adjacent to the lower pivot 38. The arrangement will be such that the spring 62 extends to a position to the left of the pivot axis 50 of the trip member, as seen in Fig. 3, thereby tending to urge that trip member in a counterclockwise direction, that is, toward the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The trip member is of such length that it extends adjacent to one of the shelf members and engages the same to be confined against tilting by the action of the :spring 62. Thus, as long as the shelf 18 remains in place and the trip member 52, 56 is engaged therewith, as shown in Fig. 3, the trip member will be held in the full line position in Fig. 3 against the action of the spring 62. While in this position, the trip member serves to position the door stop 34 in the retracted position shown in Fig. 3 by reason of its elongated or linear engagement with the ange 40 of the stop and the action of spring 42, 44. When the member 18 is lifted out of engagement with the free end portion of arm 52 of the trip member, the coil spring 62 comes into play unless otherwise restrained, as by manual positioning of the trip member. The action of the spring in tilting the trip member to the dotted line position in Fig. 3 results in swinging of the door stop toward the left as illustrated in Fig. 3, whereby the spring 42, 44 is passed over center relative to pivot 38 and thereafter acts to swing the door stop counterclockwise to projected position shown in Fig. 5.

In order to facilitate setting of the device initially, the points of connection of the ends of the spring runs 42 with the door stop and with the casing will be slightly over-center relative to the pivot axis 38 so as to tend to swing the door stop clockwise, as seen in Fig. 3, to press it 'against the trip member and in retracted position. The initialtilting of the door stop 34 by the trip member 52, 54 upon release changes the orientation of these parts so that the ends of the spring runs 42 are over-center or out of alignment with the the door stop from engagement with the trip member whereby it is free to swing to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 5 as determined by a stop, such as the end of a slot. Door stop 34 projects beyond the front face 32 of 'the cabinet and serves `as a barrier to closing of the door when projected. Note in the Fig. 5 position that the part 36 extends substantially horizontally so that engagement of the door with the door stop imparts a thrust against the member 36 substantially lengthwise thereof and thus prevents any tendency for pressure exerted thereagainst by the door to tilt the door stop to `a retracted position.

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4, a hook or projecting portion 65 is formed on the plate 54 of the trip member spaced from the pivot Si) at which one end of the coil spring 62 may be engaged. In -the Fig. 4 position of the parts, the spring acts to normally urge the trip member in a clockwise direction of rotation from the position illustrated in Fig. 4 to the position illustrated in Fig. 5. The trip member is held in the retracted or set position illustrated in Fig. 4 by engagement of the part 52 thereof with the front edge of a shelf 18 so that the shelf resists swinging of the trip member under the iniiuence of the spring 62. Consequently, if the shelf 18 l is dislodged from normal position or is removed, the trip pivot axis 38, thereby releasing 4 member swings clockwise under the influence of the spring 62 with its camming edge 56 displacing the door `stop 34 from its retracted position to a position at which the spring 43, 44 is over-center relative to the pivot axis 38, whereupon the door stop 34 is free to swing under the influence of the spring 42, 44 to the Fig. 5 position.

One of the advantages of the yconstruction which permits change of the device to operate in either of the two diiferent ways pictured in Figs. 3 and 4 is that the device need not be manufactured in rightand left-hand sizes or styles, and, instead, ts refrigerators having doors hinged either at right-hand sides or left-hand sides. The relationship of the shelf to the trip mechanism is all that need be taken into account in :setting up the device for operation in any given refrigerator.

One manner in which the device may be mounted in a refrigerator when built as a preassembled unit and installed as an accessory, is illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein securing screws 66 are utilized to anchor one of the Vertical walls of the housing of the device to the wall 22 of the refrigerator. Observe in this connection that the stroke or swing of the parts 34 and 52 is parallel to the side wall 22 and the housing of the device is liat, so that very little interference occurs with the use of the food storage space within the refrigerator cabinet.

In instances where it is desired to mount the device as an accessory without forming openings in the interior wall 22 of the refrigerator, mechanism of the character illustrated in Fig. 2 may be employed. In this instance the housing is secured to or mounted upon an elongated plate 70 or bar of substantially rigid strap material. Associated with this bar is a second elongated bar 72. A guide member 74 is mounted upon the bars 70 and 72 to align them and maintain them in parallel relation while accommodating endwise sliding thereof, one relative to the other. The member 74 preferably forms one element of a clamp and has clamping arms 76 engaging the surface of one of the members 72. Side arms 78 will be apertured to receive the members 70 and 72 slidably and to guide their movement relative to each other. A crossmember 80 may be provided with a central aperture within which a screw-threaded member 82 fits. Rotation of the screw-threaded member in the aperture of the part 80 serves to press the members 70 and 72 together and against clamping arms 76 to lock members 70, 72 in any selected adjustment. The member 72 will preferably be provided with an angularly bent portion 83 which is apertured and which receives an elongated screw-threaded stud 85 adjustably anchored with relation to the member 83 by means of locking nuts 84. A head or plate 86 is mounted on the end of the stud 85 and preferably will be padded, as by the use of rubber surfacing material.

In the use of this device the parts are installed within the refrigerator, as illustrated in Fig. 1, with the housing of the device bearing against one side wall of the refrigerator cabinet, and the head 86 on the stud 85 pressing against the other refrigerator side Wall. The clamp screw 82 will preferably be free while this adjustment is elected and, after the members 70 and 72 have been extended to proper supporting position, the screw 82 can be tightened to hold the parts 70 and 72 against movement. This arrangement serves effectively to hold the casing of the device in stationary position and presents a minimum of interference with the storage space within the refrigerator cabinet. In this connection, the members 70 and 72 will preferably be positioned adjacent to or will bear upon the bottom of the refrigeratorcabinet so that very little obstruction to the insertion of foodstuffs into the refrigerator cabinet and the removal of said foodstuffs from the refrigerator cabinet occurs in normal use of the device. At the same time the anchorage of the device is suciently firm so that the projection of the door stop 34 upon release of the trip mechanism by movement of a shelf will provide a positive barrier preventing the closing of the door of the refrigerator.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination, a cabinet having a removable shelf and a door opening adapted to be sealed by a door, a support, means for mounting said support in said cabinet adjacent to said door opening, an abutment member pivoted to said support and shiftable between a retracted position clear of said door and a projected position intercepting said door in its movement from open to closed position, spring means for urging said abutment member to a retracted position when said abutment member is moved in one direction past a neutral position and to a projected position when said abutment member is moved in the opposite direction past said neutral position, a trip member pivoted to said support and having a set position engaging said abutment member to position it retracted, and spring means normally urging said trip member to abutment-releasing position, said trip member including a portion engageable with said shelf to hold it in said set position, said trip member including a cam for engaging said abutment member whereby, movement of said trip member from set to release position displaces said abutment member past neutral position to release said iirst named spring for swinging said abutment member to projecting position.

2. In combination, a cabinet having a removable shelfv and a door opening adapted to be sealed by a door, a support, means for mounting said support in said cabinet adjacent to said door opening, an abutment member pivoted to said support and shiftable between a retracted position clear of said door and a projected position intercepting said door in its movement from open to closed position, spring means for urging said abutment member to a retracted position when said abutment member is moved in one direction past a neutral position and to a projected position when said abutment member is moved in the opposite direction past said neutral position, a tn'p member pivoted to said support and having a set position engaging said abutment member to position it retracted, and spring means normally urging said trip member to abutment-releasing position, said trip member including a portion engageable with said shelf to hold it in said set position and a cam heel for shifting said abutment member past neutral position toward projecting position, said Iirst named spring means constituting a substantially V- shaped member having a central loop, the free ends of said V-shaped member being positioned out of alignment with the pivot of said abutment member in opposite directions on opposite sides of said neutral position.

3. In combination, a cabinet having a removable shelf and a door opening adapted to be sealed by a door, a

support, means for mounting said support in said cabinet adjacent to said door opening, an abutment member pivoted to said support and shiftable between a retracted position clear of said door and a projected position intercepting said door in its movement from open to closed position, spring means for urging said abutment member to a retracted position when said abutment member is moved in one direction past a neutral position and to a projected position when said abutment member is moved in the opposite direction past said neutral position, a trip member pivoted to said support and having a set position engaging said abutment member to position it retracted, and means normally urging said trip member to abutmentreleasing position, said trip member including a portion engageable with said shelf to hold it in said set position and a cam for swinging said abutment member past neutral position and toward projected position, said last named means constituting a coil spring connected to said support at one end and to said trip member at its opposite end, said coil spring extending past 'and to one side of the pivot of said trip member when the latter is in its set position.

4. In combination, a cabinet having a removable shelf and a door opening adapted to be sealed by a door, a support, means for mounting said support in said cabinet adjacent to said door opening, an abutment member pivoted to said support and shiftable between a retracted position clear of said door and a projected position intercepting said door in its movement from open to closed position, spring means for urging said abutment member to a retracted position when said abutment member is moved in one direction past a neutral position and to a projected position when said abutment member is moved in the opposite direction past said neutral position, a trip member pivoted to said support and having a set position engaging said abutment member to position it retracted, and means normally urging said trip member to abutment-releasing position, said trip member including a portion engageable with said shelf to hold it in said set position, said abutment member and trip member being pivoted to swing in spaced substantially parallel paths and one thereof having a part projecting into the path of and engageable by the other in the set position of said parts, said trip means including a cam operative on movement of said trip member to release position for pivoting said abutment member toward projecting position and past the neutral position of said spring means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,642,203 Hilfnger Sept. 13, 1927 1,708,120 Canott Apr. 9, 1929 2,259,389 Metzerott Oct. 14, 1941 2,585,919 Davis Feb. 19, 1952 2,594,511 Steele Apr. 29, 1952 

